Wednesday marks the fiftieth birthday of Apple, a once unassuming technology organisation that quickly became one of the most recognisable industry giants in the world.

Apple’s rise to success has shaped both industry and culture, with its computers and smartphones quickly becoming embedded in the mainstream. Its success led to greater inventions such as the mobile phone app, Siri voice assistant and the Apple Watch.

But just how revolutionary was Apple? And where is the company going next?

From a garage to Silicon Valley: Apple’s story

Apple was founded on 1 April 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the garage of Jobs’ parents’ house in Los Altos, California. Although Wozniak later referred to the founding story as a “bit of a myth”, the early beginnings of Apple saw the garage being used for assembly, testing and initial operations of its hardware.

The company became well-known for its Mac computers, but perhaps its most memorable revolution came at the advent of the iPhone. Essentially a computer packaged as a phone without a keypad, the iPhone sent shockwaves across the technology industry, with some even believing it would never take off.

Developing additional versions of the iPhone, in addition to the iPod, Apple Watch, MacBook laptop, AirPods and more, Apple has well-established itself as a leader in the consumer technology market.

Setting new benchmarks in innovation, Apple also transformed the capabilities of modern computing – in addition to establishing a marketplace ecosystem for third-party developers to strengthen its position even further.

Overcoming the AI laggard reputation

While Apple remained ahead of the game for many years, it now faces the challenge of remaining dominant in a global market with a large appetite for AI. As competitors Microsoft, Google and Dell spend billions of dollars to ensure their AI leadership, Apple has often been criticised for its slower approach to the technology.

The iPhone company has struggled to make as much progress in AI, with analysts in the past arguing that they perhaps haven’t put as much effort into the technology. Apple is well-known for facing several significant challenges with the technology, including its delayed upgrades to Siri and the rollback of features like its AI-generated news summaries.

Notably, the ‘ChatGPT’ moment in late 2022 was reported to blindside Apple executives and force the company to rethink its approach. Speaking at the time, CEO Tim Cook said generative AI (Gen AI) had “great promise” but had some potential dangers.

To perhaps combat these struggles, Apple has shaken up its AI leadership in recent times. Notably, the company replaced its vice-president of AI with a top Microsoft executive and machine learning expert, Amar Subramanya, at the end of last year.

At the time, it was argued that perhaps Subramanya’s role could be to help Apple catch up and position the company more as an AI competitor on the global stage.

Although slow to realise its potential, Apple shows signs of looking to grow its AI abilities. The company announced a multi-year partnership with Google in January 2026, under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology.

Speaking at the time, both companies said these models will help to power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalised Siri experience.

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users,” their joint statement said.

Apple also remains one of the most valuable companies in the world, with Reuters reporting that continued strong demand for its iPhones will lead the company to post sales of US$465 billion in its ongoing fiscal year ending in September.

While its hardware remains a success story, time will tell if Apple becomes an AI leader.

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